Railroad-car brake



No. 6I4,862.

Patented Nov. 29, I898. C. P. HAMMOND. RAILROAD OAR BRAKE.

(Afiplication filed Dec. 22, 1897.)

2 Sheefs$haet I.

(No Model.)

J I I [N VEN T 01? LL n LL JJMM' No. 6|4,862. Patented Nov. 29; I898. C. P. HAMMOND.

' ATENT Fries.

CHARLES P. IIAMDIIONI), OF AMERIGUS, GEORGIA.

RAILROAD-CAR BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent N 0. 614,862, dated November 29, 1898. Application fil d December 22, 1897. Serial No. 663,057- (No model.)

To all whom it may corwelvt:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. HAMMOND, a resident of Americus, in the county of Sumter and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-OarBrakes; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in railroad-car brakes, and more particularly to devices for supporting and adjusting the shoes with relation to the tread of the wheel and for positively releasing or disengaging the shoes from the wheels when the brakes are off.

In the brakes ordinarily used, and particularly those on freight-cars, the beams hang loosely when the brakes are off, and more or less of the shoes, and especially the upper ends of the shoes, ride or rest on the wheels, thus causing not only wear to the shoes and Wheels, but friction, which holds the train back considerably.

The object of my invention is to provide cheap, simple, and durable devices for adjusting the brake-shoes, so that normally they are supported clear of the wheels, and for positively restoring the shoes to their normal positions after the brakes have been released.

With these ends in View my invention consists in the parts and combinations of parts and to details of construction, as will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in plan of a truck embodying my invention, the brake-shoes being omitted. Fig. 2 is a View in section on the line {a a: of Fig. 1, the brake-shoes being shown in position. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation showing simply the manner of suspending the brake-beams.

A represents a truck which may be of any approved form and construction, but which in the present instance is shown as an ordi nary four-wheel truck comprising end frames, whee1s,axles,truck-bolster,and spring-plank.

Passing through the truck-bolster B are the bolts E, screw-threaded at both ends and locked in place by the nuts a, with their ends projecting beyond the faces of the bolster, and

passing through the spring-plank F immediately under and in line with the bolts E are the bolts G, also screw-threaded at both ends and locked to the spring-plank by the nuts 1). Mounted on these bolts E and G are the ad- 3' Listing-bars H. Each bar H is mounted on one end of an upper bolt E and the corresponding end of lower bolt G immediately thereunder and is secured to the upper bolt by lock-nuts c,bearing on opposite sides of the bar H. Each bar H is provided with an elongated slot f near its upper end for the passage of the bolt E. This elongated slot permits the truckbolster B to have a free vertical movement on its supporting-springs and also permits the upper ends of the adj usting-bars to be moved toward the truck or away from it, (the nuts 9 on bolts G forming fulcrums for the bar,) so as to bring the shoes concentric with or parallel to the rims or treads of the wheels, and thus secure a uniform bearing throughout the length of the shoe. The adjusting-bars H are also provided each with an opening for the passage of an end of one of the bolts G, and each bears at its rear or inner face against the nuts g before referred to and at its front face against the spring I, which latter embraces the bolt and is secured thereon and its tension adjusted by the nuts 1'. p

The adjusting-bars carry thebrake-beams I, and each brake-beam carries two brakeshoes J. The brake-beams are connected by the ordinary or any of the well-known forms of brake mechanisms for applying the brakes. From this it will be seen that the brake-beams are rigidlyand positivelysupported,and when in their normal positions the shoes are away from the wheels and are positively held away by the springs I, which operate as soon as the brakes are released to positively force the shoes out of contact and hold them out of contact. These springs are so adjusted as to compress sufficiently when power is applied to force the brake-shoes to the wheels and are at the same time sufficiently powerful to positively force the brake-beams and the brakeshoes attached thereto away from the rims of the wheels when power is removed, and the fulcrum-nuts g are so located as to stop the adj listing-bars when the brake-shoes are sufficiently distant from the wheels to prevent any contact.

It is evident that numerous changes might i ise be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described, and especially as to the form of the springs, the manner of securing the adj listing-bars to the Various kinds of brake-beams, and the fastening of the adjusting-bars and releasing-springs to the various kinds of trucks and to trucks with brakes on the outside of wheels without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the construction set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a car-truck, of a plurality of bars adjustably secured at their upper ends to the truck whereby they may be moved toward and away from the bolster thereof, a brake-beam carried by the lower ends of said bars and means tending to force the brake-beam away from the wheels.

2. The combination with a truck, and bolts secured thereto, of adjustingbars each of which is mounted on two bolts, nuts for holding the bars in position, brake-beams carried by the adjusting-bars, and releasing-springs for positively holding the brake-beams away from the wheels when the brake is oil, sub stantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a truck, of bolts carried thereby, adjusting-bars carried by said bolts, nuts for limiting the movements of the bars, springs for forcing the bars away from the wheels, and brake-beams carried by the bars.

4. The combination with a truck, of bolts secured to the truck, adjusting-bars, each secured to two bolts, locking-nuts for securing the upper ends of the bars to the upper bolts, a spring and a locking-nut for retaining each bar in position on its lower bolt, and brakebeams carried by the ad justing-bars.

5. The combination with a truck, of bolts projecting from the bolster, bolts projecting from the spring-plank, adj Listing-bars mounted on said bolts, springs for forcing the lower ends of the adjusting-bars away from the wheels and brake-beams carried by the adj Listing-bars, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES P. HAMMOND.

Witnesses:

II. S. JOHNSON, MATT. WARREN. 

